Questions from a visiting family (Rapid City, Spearfish: rentals, house, wedding)
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I am bringing my family on vacation to the Rapid City area at the end of May. Before visiting an area, I like to try to get the scoop from locals. While my family & I enjoy a few of the local touristy things, what we really enjoy while on vacation is finding those places the locals love. We are a family that loves the outdoors & good local food. My wife and I are in our mid-thirties & our kids are 7 & 4. I appreciate any insight you can give me concerning the following questions...
Where are the best hikes within an hour drive of Rapid City? (our kids can handle 5-6miles)
My kids love climbing around on rocks. Where are the best areas to do this?
Are there any outfitters in the area that can get us in a canoe on a river? (up to class 2 water w/ the kids)
Are there any good local breweries? (for me, not the kids)
What are the top 2 scenic drives in the area?
Is there anywhere where we can rent a Jeep for a day?
What are the best local eateries?
As a local, if you had a week off work & decided to have a "staycation", where would you go & what would you do in and around Rapid City?
I am bringing my family on vacation to the Rapid City area at the end of May. Before visiting an area, I like to try to get the scoop from locals. While my family & I enjoy a few of the local touristy things, what we really enjoy while on vacation is finding those places the locals love. We are a family that loves the outdoors & good local food. My wife and I are in our mid-thirties & our kids are 7 & 4. I appreciate any insight you can give me concerning the following questions...
Where are the best hikes within an hour drive of Rapid City? (our kids can handle 5-6miles)
Harney Peak, flume trail, Mickelson trail and M hill right in Rapid.
My kids love climbing around on rocks. Where are the best areas to do this?
Sylvan Lake, they have boat rentals, too. Not so much canoeing. No real rivers close to Rapid. Several lakes.
Are there any outfitters in the area that can get us in a canoe on a river? (up to class 2 water w/ the kids)
see above.
Are there any good local breweries? (for me, not the kids)
Fire House Brewery on Main Street and Cloud Peak Brewery in Spearfish.
What are the top 2 scenic drives in the area?
I am going to offer three. The first is the Needles Highway. Starts at Sylvan Lake. The next personal favorite is the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park. The third must see, IMO, is the look through the Badlands. One more, Spearfish Canyon. While the best time to run the canyon is mid September when the color of the leaves change, it is always a pretty drive. There's four.
Is there anywhere where we can rent a Jeep for a day?
What are the best local eateries?
Firehouse Brewing, Lintz Brothers Pizza. The Hermosa location should be open by Memorial Day. Colonial House on Mount Rushmore road. Alpine Inn in Hill City (come early and bring cash)
As a local, if you had a week off work & decided to have a "staycation", where would you go & what would you do in and around Rapid City?
As far as staying close to home: Or a weekend outing usually a cruise through the hills, some of what I listed above. Other times I'm out fishing. Kayaking is usually some of the smaller lakes in the hills. Usually fishing. Camping. That is way up in the hills.
You got some good advice already but I'll add in my two cents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jareddl
Hello,
I am bringing my family on vacation to the Rapid City area at the end of May. Before visiting an area, I like to try to get the scoop from locals. While my family & I enjoy a few of the local touristy things, what we really enjoy while on vacation is finding those places the locals love. We are a family that loves the outdoors & good local food. My wife and I are in our mid-thirties & our kids are 7 & 4. I appreciate any insight you can give me concerning the following questions...
Where are the best hikes within an hour drive of Rapid City? (our kids can handle 5-6miles)
Good suggestions already. I'll add Little Elk Creek near Piedmont to the list, can't remember the trail number. The Upper Spring Creek trailhead on the Flume trail is my favorite.
My kids love climbing around on rocks. Where are the best areas to do this?
There are also lost of areas just outside Mt Rushmore. Lot's of pull off and picnic areas that offer mild bouldering. Breezy point picnic area of 244 is one. There's also an area called "The Maze" near Steamboat Rock Picnic Area.
Are there any outfitters in the area that can get us in a canoe on a river? (up to class 2 water w/ the kids)
Not that I know of. The Cheyenne river is the only nearby river and there are some canoing options but no outfitters. Several of the lakes in Custer State Park have rentals though.
Are there any good local breweries? (for me, not the kids)
I'll add Hay Camp to this list. It's strictly a brewery with very limited seating but has is the best microbrewery in Rapid IMHO.
What are the top 2 scenic drives in the area?
Good suggestions already. Badlands loop is a must. Also the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway.
Is there anywhere where we can rent a Jeep for a day?
Not that I know of. I believe Custer State Park has Jeep "safari" tour. There are a few local places that do ATV rentals.
What are the best local eateries?
I think Murphy's in Rapid is great. Also Everest Cuisine, Gyro Hub, Tally Silver Spoon are solid choices.
As a local, if you had a week off work & decided to have a "staycation", where would you go & what would you do in and around Rapid City?
That's a tough one. I'd spend the week fishing but that's probably not what you are looking for. I spend almost every weekend exploring the Hills and some of my favorite day trips are D.C. Booth Fish hatchery/Spearfish Canyon, Custer State Park/Grace Coolidge Creek walk in fishing area, Rockhounding in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland .
Dakota Shivers Brewery in Lead SD is Awesome - Considering the things you seem to be interested in you might want to consider staying somewhere other than Rapid in the Hills. Rapid City is on the edge of the Hills, while Hill City is right in the Center of the attractions. Yes to Steamboat Rock picnic area, and the Rock Mazes that are across the highway (Nemo Rd.) from there. Spearfish Canyon and Roughlock Falls are a must (there are several trails in that area), and from there you could stop in Lead at the Sledhaus or Lewies Burgers, or Cheyenne Crossing they are all truly small town good food stops. Fish Hatchery in Spearfish is Awesome! I will let others chime in on the stuff in the Central or Southern Hills since I'm more in tune with the stuff in the Northern areas. Check the local Chamber of Commerce sites to see which towns have events on the dates you will be here, that way you can partake or avoid things accordingly..
I'm surprised there was no mention of Mt. Rushmore. Any of the drives to the Mt are scenic- go one way and back another. Next best choice I believe is the Custer State Park Loop for the scenery and wildlife viewing. Think that there are cabin rentals available through the park. I agree with Eric above that staying more into the Hills would be better. Also consider Hot Springs for the Evans Plunge.
Jeep Rentals - there are a few places that do rent Jeeps in their fleets here - you would have to do some online research. What might be more fun is renting a side-by-side for a day. There are a number of places that rent them through the hills. Just search for ATV/UTV rentals.
If you want a real rock climbing experience, check out Sylvan Rocks rock climbing school. Otherwise, the forest itself offers any number of places to climb on rocks - Needles Highway is an endless rock climb!
Several good hikes have been mentioned - I would add Little Devils Tower and Sunday Gulch from Sylvan Lake, as well as any of the hikes in Spearfish Canyon. The only wildlife I would worry about are the ticks - dress appropriately and wear repellent - Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme are possible in this area.
Miner Brewery in Hill City is next to and owned by Prairie Berry winery. There is also a micro-brewery in Custer called Bitter Esters.
Places to eat: Hill City - the Alpine Inn for lunch - traditional German Fare, which is delicious, but the dessert menu is to die for! And very affordable prices! Custer - Black Hills Burger and Bun for great gourmet burgers - expect to wait in line! Any of the Custer State Park lodges are wonderful - Blue Bell and Legion Lake (currently under renovation, but should be open by the time you get here) are our favorites. Mt Rushmore's Presidential Cafe is good, too!
And yeah, the entire Black Hills is a scenic drive! But do yourself a favor, and set aside time for Custer State Park and the Wildlife Loop.
I'm surprised there was no mention of Mt. Rushmore. Any of the drives to the Mt are scenic- go one way and back another. Next best choice I believe is the Custer State Park Loop for the scenery and wildlife viewing. Think that there are cabin rentals available through the park. I agree with Eric above that staying more into the Hills would be better. Also consider Hot Springs for the Evans Plunge.
From a locals perspective Mt. Rushmore is nice. But that is not typically the place we go for our stay-cation, those are often the roads we are on regularly just as a commute or to visit a friend, or go to a wedding and so forth.
Stop at the US Forest Service either on the east side of Rapid City near Cabelas or down at the HQ on Highway 16 just south of Catron. Get a trail pass and maps. Then you can just head out on a vehicle trail, find a nice place and look around. One of the down side of trails is you often find hikers, bikers, horses and ATVs. I think just using a 4x4 and going on a dirt road to a remote area and then pulling out some chairs and beers and letting the kids run around is great. There are many places that they can explore without crowds.
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But do yourself a favor, and set aside time for Custer State Park and the Wildlife Loop.
